Cumberland Resources Ltd. - Parker Lake Project Update.

RESOURCES (TSE, VSE:CBD) Cumberland Resources Ltd. (CBD-TSE) is pleased to announce further results on the Company's 50 percent owned Parker Lake Project, centred 60 miles west of Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories.

The Parker Lake Project is a joint venture between Cumberland (50 percent), Comaplex Minerals Corp. (25 percent) and Manson Creek Resources Ltd. (25 percent), and covers over 1 million acres of prospective area.

Suluk (Nickel-Copper-Cobalt) Prospect

Additional sampling within the outlined Suluk nickel massive sulphide zone has returned impressive results. Sample 3674, located within a 300 foot area of mineralization not previously sampled (see map), returned 4.74 percent Nickel, 1.88 percent Copper, and 0.186 percent Cobalt. This brings the overall arithmetic average grade in 11 widely spaced samples of surface massive sulphide to 3.90 percent Nickel, 2.81 percent Copper and 0.167 percent Cobalt along an 1,800 foot length.

Sample 3679 was taken from a zone of disseminated mineralization located approximately 10 feet into the hangingwall of the massive sulphide and returned 0.20 percent Nickel, 2.24 percent Copper, and 0.012 percent Cobalt. Sample 3673 is located on the extreme eastern limits of the mineralized exposure and assayed 0.63 percent Nickel, 1.10 percent Copper, and 0.075 percent Cobalt. This sample extends the mineralized zone by a further 300 feet to the east giving a total surface expression of the mineralized zone of 2,100 feet. Ground geophysics (EM) over the Suluk Zone has identified a continuous conductor over a 2,600 foot length. Cumberland is presently planning airborne and ground geophysics in 1996 prior to drilling the Suluk prospect. Sandhill (Zinc-Copper) Prospect

The Sandhill Prospect is located approximately 2 miles northeast of the Suluk Prospect. Surface hand trenching and continuous chip sampling from a small exposed area of the Sandhill volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) prospect has returned significant results including 4.71 percent Zinc, 0.68 percent Copper, 0.070 oz/ton Silver over 2.0 feet.

Other sampling from glacial erratics within the mineralized trend returned up to 2.05 percent Zinc, 1.89 percent Copper, 8.15 oz/ton Silver and 16.24 percent Zinc, 0.85 percent Copper, 0.11 oz/ton Silver in grab samples. The above sampling is from within an altered and mineralized belt extending over 10 miles in length.

In addition to the above mineralization the prospect contains all the classic geological features of the large VMS camps in Ontario (Geco Mine, Noranda camp.) The Company is presently planning airborne and ground geophysical surveys in 1996 prior to drilling the Sandhill Prospect. Thirsty Lake Diamond Dyke

The Thirsty Lake Diamond Dyke is located approximately 1 mile northeast of the Suluk Nickel prospect. The diamond bearing host rock measures approximately 2,000 feet in length and up to 5 feet in width. In May of 1995, Monopros Ltd. (a division of DeBeers) extracted a bulk sample (1,146 kg) from this occurrence and processed the material only for macrodiamonds (1 mm to 5 mm size range). Two diamonds measuring 1.4 and 2.9 mm were recovered. Both stones are described as greenish and poorly translucent. Monopros also reports that another representative sample extracted from the above material and weighing 3.7 kg was processed for microdiamonds. This sample "produced even more microdiamonds per kilogram" than a previous sample (7.8 kg returned 6,680 diamonds) also processed by Monopros in 1995. A regional diamond exploration program to identify larger, economic, diamond bearing structures was completed by the joint venture this past season, and results are being compiled. -0-

Suluk Prospect - 1995 Assays

Sample #      Nickel percent  Copper percent  Cobalt percent
(x) 2356           4.53            2.08             .186
(x) 2357           3.27            4.97             .158
(x) 2358           2.67            7.75             .123
(x) 2359           4.06            1.18             .205
(x) 2360           3.28            1.49             .158
(x) 2361           2.99            4.01             .141
(x) 2362           5.04            2.08             .221
(x) 2363           5.29            0.47             .165
(x) 2364           4.40            1.55             .159
(x) 2365           2.62            3.71             .134
    3674           4.74            1.88             .186

AVERAGE            3.90            2.81             .167

    3673           0.63            1.10             .075
    3679           0.20            2.24             .012

(x) Previously released

NOTE: Location map available from the Company at the phone number listed above.

CONTACT: Glen Dickson, President or

Kerry Curtis, Vice President, Corporate Development

604/244-7112